Bodiam Church of England Primary School

Bodiam Church of England Primary School Bodiam, Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5UH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of consistently good teaching. They are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils’ results in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2 are above those found in most schools.  All teaching is at least good and much is outstanding across the school. Teaching is very well matched to the needs of individual pupils. Pupils make good or very good progress during their lessons because they are interested and active in their own learning.  Pupils consistently demonstrate a deep-seated love of learning and very high expectations of themselves. Their behaviour is excellent.  The school caters for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Pupils are aware of big issues in the world around them. They consistently demonstrate a caring attitude towards others.  Leadership is good because the decisive action of the headteacher, other senior leaders and

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This is a good school

governors has rapidly enhanced the quality of teaching and ensured that individual pupils’ needs are recognised and explicitly catered for.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ results in Key Stage 1 are not high enough. They do not yet reflect the improvements in teaching recently introduced to the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector saw teaching in every class. He observed one assembly, eight lessons and pupils’ behaviour in the playground. All lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, the headteacher, staff and two representatives of the local authority.  The inspector observed many aspects of the school’s work, including supervision and support for pupils who need extra help. He examined pupils’ work in their exercise books and on classroom and corridor wall displays.  The inspector looked at a number of documents, including plans for what pupils will learn in each subject, plans for the school’s future development, the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe, pupils’ attendance records, minutes of governing body meetings, records of how pupils’ learning is checked and tracked and records of how the quality of teaching is checked.

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Information about this inspection

 The views of parents and carers were taken into account through taking note of the 19 responses to the online Parent View survey and three letters that were submitted.  Staff views were taken into consideration by looking at questionnaires completed by 17 staff members and through discussions with several members of staff.

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Inspection team

Steven Popper, Lead inspector Seconded inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a much smaller than the average-sized primary school and serves the village of Bodiam and the surrounding area.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for additional government funding, known as the pupil premium, is lower than the national average.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and who need extra help are higher than in other schools nationally. Some of these pupils have speech, language and communication needs while others have behaviour, emotional and social difficulties. No pupils have statements of special educational needs.  A small minority of pupils join or leave the school during the school year. This minority is larger than that found in most other schools.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.

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Information about this school

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have a Reception class provided for them.  The school works in partnership with another local primary school which shares the same headteacher.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2010. The deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2011.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the attainment of pupils in Key Stage 1 by:  ensuring that teachers continue to have consistently high expectations about what pupils can achieve and the progress they can make  embedding recently introduced teaching strategies to ensure that all lessons contain a high level of challenge

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children do well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They start school with the skills that are expected for their age and make good progress in all areas of their learning as they move through the Reception Year. They achieve well by the time they join Year 1.  Results of national screening in phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) and national tests in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 have been lower than in most schools. However, recent substantial improvements to the quality of teaching mean that pupils in Key Stage 1 have begun to progress faster in all these areas than they did previously.  Pupils make good progress in all subjects throughout Key Stage 2. Results of national tests in Year 6 have consistently improved since 2010. In the most recent tests, all Year 6 pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics, and over three-quarters of pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

achieved the higher levels in reading.  Pupils receiving support through the use of pupil premium funding make good progress in line with all pupils in the school. Average point scores in English and mathematics show that any gaps in performance are closing. This is partly because of the effective support they receive from a trained specialist teaching assistant paid for by pupil premium funding, and partly by being taught phonics and mathematics in ‘stages-not-ages’ groups which ensure that teaching is very well matched to their learning needs.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their starting points. This is because they receive teaching and support matched to their individual needs in all lessons.  Standards in speaking and listening are very high across the school. Pupils express their knowledge and understanding with confidence and precision.  Reading is promoted very well in the school through the use of lunchtime reading groups and

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The achievement of pupils is good

regular ‘Raising Readers for Life’ weeks that encourage pupils and parents and carers to share books together. Pupils are heard to read regularly. They enjoy reading and talk about books with enthusiasm. For example, one Year 4 girl talked excitedly about a series of books she was reading, while one Year 3 boy described some adventure stories that he liked.  Pupils made good and very good progress during all lessons seen during the inspection. This was because of highly engaging and effective teaching.  Pupils use their literacy and mathematical skills in all subjects that they learn. For example, an outstanding lesson in the Year 3/4 class combined knowledge about the Tudors with features of news reports to great effect.  Pupils present their work to a consistently high standard. They take care to produce the best work that they can. This is because of the consistently high expectations of their teachers and

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The achievement of pupils is good

the school overall.  Parents, carers and pupils express overwhelmingly positive views about the achievements and progress made by pupils at the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching across the school is consistently good with much that is outstanding. This is an improvement since the last inspection and is the main reason for the secure improvement of pupils’ progress and quality of learning.  Teaching consistently features substantial opportunities for pupils to express and apply their learning. Pupils share thoughtful ideas with each other and their teachers, who challenge them to give explanations for their thoughts and make careful observations. Teachers and teaching assistants consistently use questioning very effectively to develop pupils’ thinking and check their understanding. Pupils are listened to very well and their ideas and suggestions are taken seriously and responded to respectfully.  Teaching is consistently enthusiastic, interesting and interactive and makes good use of pupils’ own knowledge and understanding. Stimulating resources are used effectively. As a result pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

concentrate and are eager to learn. For example, one outstanding Year 5/6 science lesson used computer technology to support pupils’ understanding of the effect of exercise on the heart in a very engaging way, while an outstanding Year 1/2 English lesson used well-designed visual resources very efficiently to develop pupils’ understanding of features of a particular author’s writing.  Teachers set appropriately challenging targets for pupils’ future progress and pupils know what these are. The school’s marking system gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work, particularly their writing. Pupils understand what they need to do to progress further.  Teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils’ learning, progress and quality of work. Pupils know what is expected of them and how to achieve it. As a result their work and learning are of high quality.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effective and nurturing in tone. It features a

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The quality of teaching is good

good mix of direct teaching and learning through play. Pupils engage with learning and progress well as a result.  Homework is used effectively to practise skills and apply knowledge.  Pupils interviewed by the inspector praised the quality of teaching and the high level of challenge they now experience in all their lessons.  All parents and carers who left an opinion for the inspector thought that their children were taught well and made good progress as a result.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils consistently demonstrate a love of learning and high expectations of their own learning and behaviour. They completely share the school’s ethos of ‘being the best they could be’.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, in the playground and when travelling around the school is exemplary. They are polite, well mannered, caring and value each other’s lives and achievements. This was witnessed in an assembly when several pupils and staff shared and celebrated their talents with each other.  Relationships between pupils and adults and pupils and other pupils are excellent, and there is a very high degree of respect consistently on display. Pupils are confident to offer opinions and express themselves, but do so in a courteous and respectful fashion.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They understand different types of bullying (including cyber-bullying) and extreme behaviour such as racism, though neither of these is present in the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

school.  The school operates a highly effective behaviour management system that gives pupils warnings and chances to recover before overstepping the mark. Careful monitoring of behaviour and the promotion of very high behavioural expectations ensure an excellent climate for learning and the absence of any low-level disruption.  Parents, carers and staff are positive about behaviour and raise no serious concerns. A high percentage of parents and carers who expressed an opinion thought that behaviour in the school was good.  Pupils feel very safe in the school and feel that bullying and other forms of poor behaviour do not exist in the school. Their opinion is supported by the school’s records on behaviour.  Pupils enjoy school and want to attend. Attendance is in line with most other schools and has improved over time. There is good communication with parents and carers about how absenteeism equates to the loss of learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has very high aspirations for the school and its pupils and has been extremely successful in creating a new shared school ethos of high expectations of pupils’ achievement and learning. As a result the school now pursues excellence in everything it does.  Under the headteacher’s guidance, staff have been effectively deployed and appointed to ensure that high-quality teaching is featured consistently across the school. As a result all pupils now receive a much more consistently high level of challenge and progress well in all lessons.  The progress of pupils is now tracked much more accurately, frequently, precisely and rigorously. This tracking is used to ensure that all individuals and groups of pupils are offered provision well matched to their learning needs and that targets for their future progress are accurate and properly challenging.  Recent changes to the way that phonics and mathematics are taught are improving the progress

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The leadership and management are good

and learning of pupils (including those in most need of support), particularly in Key Stage 1.  Senior leaders have an accurate knowledge of the quality of teaching across the school and its impact on pupils’ progress and achievement. Performance management and decisions about pay awards to staff are explicitly linked to targets relating to improving pupils’ results and progress.  The school’s evaluation of its own strengths and priorities for development is accurate. The school development plan focuses on the improvement of pupils’ attainment and progress and contains a clear timescale for specific improvements to be made.  Pupil premium funding is spent where it has most impact. The employment of a trained specialist teaching assistant is effective in securing the progress of pupils who receive such funding.  The subjects pupils learn are broad, balanced and of interest to them. Different subjects are

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The leadership and management are good

connected and made relevant to pupils through ‘learning journeys’ that excite them and develop their application of knowledge and skills.  The school provides very good opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the pupils choose news stories that reflect a wide range of situations such as the rewarding of achievement, perseverance in the face of adversity, civil rights, and crime and punishment for a constantly updated ‘window on the world’ display in the school hall.  The school ensures that all pupils are safe. It keeps appropriate and up-to-date records of its work in this area and meets statutory requirements.  The school’s partnership with another primary school is used effectively to promote and share examples of high pupil attainment and good teaching in different subjects across both schools. Expectations have become higher as a result and good practice has become more established.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supplied advisory support and staff training which have supported the improvements made to the school’s tracking of pupils’ progress and attainment and the establishment of high expectations.  The headteacher and school leadership team have the well-founded confidence of the school’s governing body, the local authority, parents and carers and all of the staff.  The governance of the school:  Governors are capable and trained. They offer a good level of challenge to the school, especially focused around the improvement of academic standards, the quality of teaching and the enrichment of pupils’ lives. They set the headteacher rigorous performance management targets. Governors ensure the efficient management of financial resources, including the effective use of pupil premium funding. Governors visit the school regularly to scrutinise the quality of its provision. Their impact on the school’s drive for improvement is good.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 114529 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 405519

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school All-through School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 73 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barbara Napper Headteacher Margaret Williams Date of previous school inspection 2–3 February 2011 Telephone number 01580 830342 Fax number 01580 830029 Email address office@bodiam.e-sussex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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